Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am reviewing these covers because reading reviews was SO helpful to me when I was new to cloth diapering and trying to figure out what in the world to buy. After exhaustive research I decided to start with Thirsties Duo Wrap Snaps and use them along with Green Mountain Diapers Size Small prefolds (yellow stripe). I couldn't be happier with my choice! Prefolds and covers are the most economical choice for cloth diapering and we have saved so much money, not to mention all of the waste that isn't in a landfill. There are a few really great features built into these covers- 1. They are adjustable both around the waist and the rise. My daughter is 5 months old, just over 13 pounds, in the 50th percentile for height and weight and we still have plenty of room to enlarge the waist. It's great that they can "grow" with your baby. 2. They have leg gussets which really hold in the liquidy poo. We received a diaper cake and some disposable diapers from people who didn't know that we were cloth diapering so we used disposables for the first month and we constantly had blowouts onto our daughter's clothes! With the Thirsties a blowout onto her clothes is extremely rare. The cover really does an amazing job containing everything, just make sure that all of the prefold is tucked in. One complaint about the gussets, they are white which is silly because that makes them harder to keep clean looking. 3. They dry really fast. Take them out of the washer and 10 minutes later they are ready to go. 4. They aren't ridiculously bulky and I feel like my daughter is comfortable in them. They don't leave red marks on her chubby little legs or tummy. Another thing I was so confused about when I was pregnant and shopping was how many diapers to buy. There was so much conflicting information out there! So I started with 4 Thirsties Duo Wrap Snaps and 1 Thirsties Duo Wrap Aplix. Definitely get the snaps! The Aplix isn't as good because it doesn't hold up in the wash. A couple of times I've changed my daughter and the velcro had come completely undone. I've also read reviews where people said their baby figured out how to undo the velcro and I can totally see that happening when my baby gets a little older. So I have a total of 5 covers and it is JUST enough. I wash a load of diapers every other day. I think 6 covers would be the perfect amount. I have 24 prefolds and that is enough. I ordered 36 and I still have 12 sitting in the original packaging brand new. A few more tips that may be helpful for cloth diapering newbies- 1. Don't buy into all the hype about cloth diapering friendly detergent. I literally read for hours about how to strip your washing machine and what detergents work and what detergents don't work and on and on and on. Forget it. If you're going with cotton prefolds and covers then none of that applies to you. I use Tide Original Powder and it's awesome. But don't use fabric softener! It will leave a residue that will build up on your diapers and keep them from absorbing. I bought wool dryer balls and they are AMAZING. They make everything dry faster and help with static. 2. Jelly roll fold is by FAR the best for keeping in liquidy baby poo. 3. Snappis are awesome. 4. You can't use traditional diaper rash creams with cloth diapers for the same reason that you can't use fabric softener...it creates a build-up. So nothing with zinc-oxide. I bought CJ's Butter which is cloth diaper friendly and I like it a lot but it was expensive and you know what? My daughter hardly ever has a diaper rash because cloth diapering is so great. If you do have rash issues, try organic coconut oil, it's awesome. 5. Consider using disposables just for the first week when the baby is pooping the meconium. It's a black tarry substance that will definitely stain your nice new cloth. I really, really hope this review helps some new Mommies or just new-to-cloth-diapering Mommies! :) UPDATE: I just finally sized up at 7 months and about 15.5 pounds. She still had room in the waist but had outgrown the rise. I'm still thrilled with the covers (they are still in fantastic condition!) and am continuing on with Size 2s. UPDATE AGAIN: 17 months and we are still going strong in the size 2s. :) UPDATE AGAIN: My daughter potty trained at 17 months right after my last update. Another benefit of cloth diapers is that kids often potty train sooner because they actually can feel when they are wet. I'm now using the same exact prefolds and covers that I used for my daughter on my 3 week old son. They are just as awesome the second time around!